Give Me Your Answer, Do
by The Beauty and the Tragedy
Summary: An annoyed Snape is running low on potions ingredients, and drafts Apprentice Mediwitch Granger to help. Hilarity and mishaps (and a little bit of cuteness) ensue.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Give Me Your Answer, Do

**Rating: **T

**Pairing: **HGSS

**Disclaimer: **We are but poor fans, and own nothing.

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**Chapter 1**

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"Miss Granger, might I have a word?" Professor Severus Snape strode into the Hospital Wing, a stern look pasted upon his pallid face. A few students in the hospital cots averted their eyes, hoping to avoid losing points for their Houses for staring or some other pointless nonsense.

A petite woman in her early twenties straightened up from the low cupboard in a far corner of the ward. Her bushy brown hair was momentarily tamed into a plait that reached down to her waist.

Two honey-brown eyes focused on the man whose robes were billowing out behind him as he came striding over to her, clearly on a mission.

"Yes, Professor? May I help you?"

The man stopped just in front of her. No longer his student, Hermione Granger was not intimidated by his fierce gaze- not that she ever had been.

"I am running dangerously low on cowslip, sanicle, and _Lytta vesicatoria _wings. I don't suppose you have any here?" Severus Snape prided himself on constantly keeping his ingredients in usable quantities but the amount of work that had piled up lately made him unable to uphold his usually impeccable standards. He was not in a very good mood, to say the least.

"No, sir. I know Madam Pomfrey usually comes to you for ingredients." The full-time Mediwitch had been out of the castle at a conference for the last week, so Hermione, her current apprentice, was filling in for her.

A low growl of annoyance issued from somewhere deep in Severus' throat. "I can order the beetle wings today, but I will require you to assist me this afternoon in replenishing my other supplies."

Hermione smiled warmly back. "It would be my pleasure, Professor."

"Meet me at 4 o'clock near the Whomping Willow, then. I'm sure you recall how to get there." Without waiting for an answer, Snape strode from the room.

The bed-ridden students finally relaxed, and Hermione rolled her eyes in amused exasperation, mentally revising her afternoon plans.

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A/N: As with most drakien/Rickmanlover24601 collaborative efforts, this story came about in a flash of genius, then took a really absurdly ridiculous long time to finish. Like, we created the file in 2007. And let's be real…it's only four adorable chapters. Regardless, she visited me two weeks ago, and our primary goal for Whirlwind Weekend of Awesomeness was to finish this fic. And we did. So we'll be updating with a new chapter every Sunday. Yay! Reviews make us happy!


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Give Me Your Answer, Do

**Rating: **T

**Pairing: **HGSS

**Disclaimer: **We are but poor fans, and own nothing.

**Chapter 2**

Hermione stood up and wiped the sweat off her brow. It was hard work collecting ingredients that lay low on the ground. "That's the last of them, right?" She turned around to face her picking partner. When they had met outside the castle, Severus had informed Hermione that they would be making use of the time to address some other less urgent shortages. He had handed Hermione a rather lengthy piece of paper explaining that was exactly half of the list he had compiled.

He scowled. "There is still one more to collect. Did you even bother to read the list I provided, or were you too preoccupied with those ridiculous flowers you've been hauling about?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I memorized your bloody list right after you handed it to me, if you must know. And I've got all of the things on my half...it's not my fault you've fallen behind."

"Impertinent wench," he growled, though there was little venom in his tone. Over the years, the two of them had learned to coexist relatively well; some might even say they were friends.

Accustomed to Severus' snarky banter, Hermione merely laughed and turned her attention to more flower picking. She had decided a nice bunch of colorful flowers would brighten up her office. She set off towards a nearby tree to inspect the bushes beside it. A bright orange clump of flowers caught her attention. "Ooo…these are pretty." Hermione muttered to herself, knowing any remark made directly to Severus would warrant another scathing response.

Unfortunately, the flowers were slightly obscured by a rather plain purple bush and Hermione lifted one hand to reach past the obstructing plant.

Severus spared a glance in her direction as she moved away, preparing another barb as he did so. Whatever he had been about to say, however, caught in his throat when he saw the plant she was about to touch. "Hermione, NO!" he shouted, lunging to knock her away. They fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs, the ingredients and flowers she'd been gathering crushed between them.

Hermione, her eyes wide with surprise, and the wind knocked out of her, could only stare up at Severus, wordlessly wondering what had happened. She had a moment to note his lank black hair brushing her cheeks, as his face was only inches from hers.

"Miss Granger, do try to contain your Gryffindor tendencies to recklessly throw yourself into harm's way. Am I to assume from this debacle that you failed to identify that plant?"

She shook her head mutely, and his scowl deepened. He felt like he was speaking with a particularly dense dunderhead, not a woman he usually felt possessed a modicum of intelligence. To make things worse, he could feel his allergies starting to kick in; he needed to get them moving back towards the castle before they got worse.

"It's _Acidonious verticlora,_ Miss Granger. Perhaps you've heard of its nastier traits? One scrape of the thorns, which I assure you are plentiful, will send you into a deep, unending sleep. The only known cure is the Wiggenwald potion, and I have neither the time nor the desire to brew it for you."

Hermione frowned, unsure if she should brush off his harsh remarks and be thankful that he saved her from the plant, or argue his stance of leaving her to sleep for eternity. The fact that she was going cross-eyed trying to focus on his face didn't help with her mental processes. She opened her mouth to speak but was stopped before she began by Severus' face suddenly twisting before her. She could feel his body tense before he maneuvered himself off her. Hermione followed his example and stood, brushing the grass and leaves off her as she did so.

"Is everything alright, Severus?" She wondered if she should be so concerned with his wellbeing considering he had been, only a moment ago, quite content to let her remain unconscious until Judgment Day.

"Of course everything is not 'alright,' you irritating woman," he growled. "You've crushed half of the ingredients we've spent the last few hours painstakingly gathering! I should have known some sort of mishap would occur in your company. I'm tired of this. Come, back to the castle...I have work to do."

With Snape in the lead, they started back the way they came. Every so often, Hermione heard a muffled sound, one she couldn't quite place. As the muffled noises became more frequent, Hermione increased her walking pace to come up beside Severus. She glanced over at him, a frown on her face. A spasm overtook his body and the muffled noise was revealed to be Severus sneezing into his sleeve.

"Severus, if you keep doing that, you're going to get your robes awfully dirty." Hermione pointed out with mock disdain. She smiled playfully back to let him know that she was only teasing.

Hermione pulled out her wand and magicked a handkerchief. She handed it wordlessly over to him, hoping she could be useful. She couldn't help but feel responsible for the loss of all their ingredients earlier.

He glared at the offending white piece of linen before turning his attention back to the path and lengthening his stride, ignoring her completely. Hermione shrugged and the handkerchief disappeared. She was used to Severus and his independent attitude, as she had yet to see him accept any form of help or charity. Hermione momentarily wondered why Severus was so keen to get back to the castle all of a sudden. She had been led to believe his evening was relatively free.

Though he'd never admit it to Hermione, Severus was worried. While it had been years since he'd had a severe allergic reaction, he could tell he wouldn't make it back to the castle in time. Already, he could feel his sinuses clogging up and his eyes swelling. It wasn't getting any easier to breathe, either.

"Severus, are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Hermione began to realize this had to be something more than just a Severus who was tired of the outdoors. He was walking faster with each step and seemed intent on focusing on the path in front of him. Hermione was nearly jogging to keep up with his long strides.

"I'b fime," he tried to sneer. "Nowe ib yul..." his reply was cut off by a massive fit of sneezes, during which his face turned towards Hermione. She saw that he was covered with hives, and his eyes were red and swollen.

Hermione's eyes went wider than normal and though Severus was still stoically making his ever slowing way to the castle, Hermione took a step in front of him, blocking his path. She put a hand on his shoulder to halt him. "Severus! What's happ-" She stopped herself mid-sentence, once she realized Severus looked like he was about to collapse on the ground in front of her. Quickly thinking, she plunged her other hand into her shoulder bag and pulled out the epi pen she always kept with her for emergencies. Her mother had taken her to the doctor after a mild reaction to a bee sting when she was 10. Out of precaution, Hermione had the prescription refilled each year although she had yet to be stung again. She pulled the cap off with her teeth, her free hand now holding Severus in place.

Though his eyes were watering terribly at this point, Snape caught the light reflecting off something...sharp. Oh no. Not that. Of all the things the annoying girl could have... His last conscious thoughts were of a sea of masked people surrounding him.

Ignoring Severus' reaction, Hermione plunged the needle into his thigh. She briefly wished his clothing wasn't quite so thick before she noticed he had slumped over, weighing her down. "Honestly, Severus." She huffed as his dead-weight pulled them both to the ground. Severus was unconscious and Hermione was annoyed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Give Me Your Answer, Do

**Rating: **T

**Pairing: **HGSS

**Disclaimer: **We are but poor fans, and own nothing.

**Chapter 3**

With a roll of the eyes, Hermione stashed her pen back in her bag and pulled out her wand. A muttered spell later and Severus was floating mid-air beside her. She stood and dusted herself off, frowning at her unconscious colleague before guiding him towards the Infirmary.

Completely fed-up with snarky, secretive Potions Masters, Hermione told her comatose companion exactly what she thought of him. "You complain that _I'm_ a hassle! I mean honestly...any normal man would _mention_ something like an allergy when they had a fistful of flowers shoved in their face. But nooo, not Big Bad Snape! _You_ have to be all stubborn and ridiculous, and nearly get yourself killed, rather than sharing a little piece of information like that!"

Hermione pushed the front doors of the castle open and continued her rant. "And to think you were sniping at me about that stupid bush, you hypocritical git. 'Don't have the time nor the desire to brew you a potion, Miss Granger'. 'You're a complete dunderhead, Miss Granger'. Well who's the dunderhead now, Severus? I'm not the one whose bony arse is being dragged through the halls of Hogwarts. Imagine _fainting_! I never thought I'd see the day when the Scary Potions Master couldn't handle a few allergy symptoms. I have half a mind to drop you once or twice before we get to the infirmary! "I'm _sooo_ sorry, Professor," she mimed in a girlish voice. "It's just that the way back to the castle was so long, and I'm just a young witch, not nearly as strong as YOU. It's no wonder I couldn't handle such a simple task as looking after _you_. Oh yes, and I figured dropping you on your head might knock some sense into you!" At this, she reached the Hospital Wing and whisked him through the Infirmary doors and dropped him rather abruptly on a bed. The impact was not enough to wake him, however.

More's the pity.

**~oOo~ ~oOOOo~ ~oOo~**

When Hermione first burst through the front doors of Hogwarts, she was too incensed to notice the two students who had ducked behind a suit of armor. One of the miscreants looked down at the rolled herbs in his hand. "Roger, I am never trying this...what did you call it? Pan?...again. I just thought I saw Mistress Granger levitating Snape through the hall...yelling at him."

Roger looked shaken. "Pot," he corrected absently, "and I know exactly what you mean. Mum was right...it does rot your brain. Let's get back to the common room."

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**A/N: **Sadly, our little adventure comes to its conclusion next chapter. If you've been enjoying, leave us a review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **Give Me Your Answer, Do

**Rating: **T

**Pairing: **HGSS

**Disclaimer: **We are but poor fans, and own nothing.

**Chapter 4**

Severus regained consciousness in phases. His hearing came back first. He became aware of low voices talking around him with the occasional shout.

The first thing Severus noticed when he opened his eyes was that the high ceiling above him was much too arched to be the one above his own bed. The second thing he noticed was that the bed he was in was remarkably uncomfortable. A particular set of footsteps, however, clued him into his actual location: the Infirmary. He had been a reluctant patient more times than he could count and as a result knew Madame Pomfrey's tread well.

Severus struggled to sit up but felt a firm hand on his shoulder pushing him back down onto the pillow. Finally blinking away his remaining grogginess, he laid eyes on the annoying Mediwitch apprentice.

"Let me guess, you've been here the whole time, haven't you, Miss Granger?" His throat was dry and his voice cracked.

Hermione leaned over him and replied, "Of course not, you ridiculous man. I did have other things to do."

Irritated at his foggy memory, Severus questioned why he was there.

Hermione began explaining only to be interrupted by Madam Pomfrey who bustled over with a goblet in her hand.

"Ah, Severus! Awake at last! Just in time for your next dose of medicine." She leaned over him and put the cup to his mouth. "Drink up!"

Severus scowled although the effect was slightly weakened by the fact that he was in a nightgown in a small cot with slightly puffy eyes and was finding it difficult to breathe through his nose.

The potion was foul and dulled his senses. He felt foggier than he had when he first woke up.

"There we go." Madam Pomfrey smiled and bustled off, leaving the scowling professor in the hands of her apprentice.

Hermione smiled at Madam Pomfrey's retreating form and turned her attention to her unwilling patient. "How are you feeling?"

Severus flashed Hermione a goofy smile and replied, "Simply marvelous." And then he burst into giggles. Very unmanly giggles.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "I see that the medicine is having an interesting effect."

Severus giggled once more and let out a very excited 'Yep!'

Figuring that she would take advantage of his clearly altered state, if only a little, Hermione decided to pose the questions she was eager to find the answers to. "So tell me, Severus, how is it that I've known you for over a decade and this is the first time I've heard of you suffering from allergies?" Hermione wanted to see just how out of it he was before mentioning that he had fainted at the mere sight of the needle.

"I'm not allergic to anything but daisies, and I usually manage to avoid frolicking in them, that's how."

"I see," she said, trying to contain her amusement at his use of the word 'frolicking'. Oh yes, he was very out of it. "And when did you develop your fear of needles?"

"Oh that," he said grandly. "That was a debacle of the highest order! I was, hmm…maybe…six or seven years old? There was a girl in the village that I rather adored. Merlin she was beautiful! An angel in that hellhole of a place, all flowing blonde hair, bright blue eyes, you know the type. Well, she always wore these barrettes with daisies on them. And I liked her, you know, but I was cripplingly shy. I saw a garden plot with daisies one day, and in a flash of infantile genius, I thought I'd pick some for her. I'm pretty sure I thought that if I gave them to her, she'd love me forever, or some such rot."

He snorted…or tried to. He was still congested enough that it didn't really have the desired effect, though it made Hermione chuckle.

Severus stared off into the distance thinking about his golden angel. After a few moments of silence, Hermione coughed to get his attention.

"That's very sweet, Severus, but it doesn't exactly answer my question."

"Oh? What question?"

She huffed impatiently. "Needles?"

"OH! Yes. Needles. That." He shuddered. "Well, a few minutes after gathering a scraggly handful of flowers, I started itching. I didn't know what it meant…I was only a child. By the time I handed the flowers over, my face was all puffed up and horrid, enough that she took one look at me, screamed, and ran off. I don't remember too much of what happened after that…the next thing I knew, I was in a hospital surrounded by people in masks. One of them had this gigantic needle, obviously intended for me, and I panicked. I think Mum said it took eight of them to hold me down."

Hermione couldn't help smiling at the image Severus had painted for her. That was… well, frankly, it was adorable. She turned to look at him, wanting to pursue her line of questioning further, only to find him snoring. Loudly.

Ah well.

**~oOo~ ~oOOOo~ ~oOo~**

Severus was fully recovered by the next morning, as was evident by his customary scowl and the rapid loss of Gryffindor house points as he stalked back to his rooms. He tried not to think of the mortifying events of the day before… he'd tackled Hermione, ended up with a face full of daisies, passed out, and then, unless he was imagining it, had some sort of verbal diarrhea episode that he could only hope Granger would have the sense never to mention. Ever.

Upon entering his quarters, he could immediately tell that someone had been in his rooms. But who? And why?

The answer to both questions became obvious when his eyes landed on a small vase that hadn't been on his coffee table previously. A quick scan revealed that the contents of the vase had been placed under a stasis charm… it would never wilt, nor was it in any way allergenic.

A single daisy.

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**A/N: That's all folks. Thanks so much for reading. We hope you have enjoyed. Reviews are much appreciated.**


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